


Over and Under

by orphan_account



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Exactly What It Says on the Tin, Heart Sex (Undertale), Incest, M/M, Overtale, Sibling Incest, Soul Sex, Undertale Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 21:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5513759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the end of the game.<br/>Yet, it feels like you still have some loose ends to tie up.<br/>Another lost soul..<br/>Someone still needs to be saved.<br/>But how can you save a soul if it doesn't exist?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

*The sun peaks over the vast valley of trees which were dotted with white crisp snow. This feeling of freedom, the fresh air filling your lungs, the souls of thousands of happy monsters, beating as one with one dream, achieved.

...

It fills you with determination.

 

The world was changed for the better; monsters and humans lived in harmony once more, and Frisk had found a new home with Toriel, who became a teacher at the newly built school for monster kind. Sans and Papyrus found a nice apartment in the city to live, and although it was small, it worked pretty well. Alphys found a large house near a quiet beach, a good place for Alphys to do her experiments, as well as to watch anime and be total trash. Undyne found her home on Alphys's living room couch. Although she was rather disappointed to find out anime wasn't reality, she learned it was just as amazing as she thought.

And so the story ends, opening a gateway for another.

"Yo, Pap, hand me the remote."

"SANS, GO OUTSIDE FOR ONCE! EVER SINCE WE LEFT THE UNDERGROUND, YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT SLACK! NOTHING HAS CHANGED FOR YOU, HAS IT?!"

"Nope," Sans casually slumped down in the couch some more, leaning over to grab the remote which was just barely out of his reach. He grasped it with his bony fingers, flipping on the TV to the newest season of MTT: Life in the White House, where Mettaton lived in a house which was just painted white because he wasn't quite allowed in the white house yet. Surprisingly, it was more entertaining than it sounded.

Papyrus glared at him before turning back to his pot of spaghetti, stirring angrily. The room filled with silence, only cut through by the noise from the television. Sans sprawled himself out on the couch, pulling a faded green blanket over his body. The day became evening, and evening became night, and Papyrus had completed some mandatory tasks around the house. After working, the taller collapsed onto the couch with a light huff, looking through the mail the two had received. Mainly just junk mail, a couple cooking magazines Papyrus had subscriptions to, and one blue envelope. In messy handwriting, it had their address written on it, obviously Undyne's. He took his long, bony finger and scraped it open, taking out the letter. On it was:

Dear Papyrus,

We're throwing a party at my place tomorrow night at 6. Bring spare clothes and eggnog if you can.

-Your rad pal, Undyne

"WOWIE! A PARTY!", the taller smiled, tossing the short letter onto the table and looking over to Sans. "AND YOU'RE COMING AS WELL, SANS."  
The shorter groaned, "nah. I'm fine."  
"BUT SAAAANS! WE HAVEN'T SEEN THEM IN AGES!"  
"More like a few days."  
The younger huffed, rising from his seat and stating, "I'M GOING TO BED, BROTHER. GOODNIGHT." It was followed by a long pause. "WELL? COME AND READ ME MY BED TIME STORY!"  
The older chuckled, "no problem, bro," as he stood up, following Papyrus in as he grabbed 'Peek-A-Boo With Fluffy Bunny' from the desk next to his favorite space-themed nightstand, as Papyrus slipped into bed. Sans flipped open the book, beginning with, "the pink fluffy bunnies, sitting in a row..."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

The next day, Papyrus had gotten everything he could need for the party, and then some. A spare change of clothes, board games, eggnog, and his brother. Of course, he had dragged him there against his will, but he knew Sans would have just as much fun as he would.

By the time they got to Alphys's house, it was 5:48 PM. With a large backpack behind him, Papyrus, rapped his knuckles against the door, as shuffling was heard. The door quickly swung open, Undyne standing there with a huge grin on her face.

"Heya, Papyrus!

..and Sans! Wasn't expecting you, so sorry if we're short on snacks for ya."

Sans chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "eh. It's fine." Then, Alphys walked up behind the fish, smiling at the pair of skeletons.

"H-hiya, guys! I, uh, found the DVD, so w-we can start marathonning now!" She held up a clear disc case, its contents clearly displayed.

Papyrus smiled non-existent ear to non-existent ear. "OH BOY, HUMAN MOVIES!" Without much invitation, he raced in and flopped onto the couch, spinning his backpack around and pulling out a fuzzy orange blanket and some (non-alcoholic) eggnog, setting it to the side. Sans followed suit, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat rack as he crawled on the couch as well. Alphys waddled over to the DVD player and popped in the disc, sitting on the couch as Undyne cuddled up next to her protectively. Papyrus, curled up in his blanket, kept his eyes glued to the screen in childlike wonder as Sans looked off to the side, uninterested. His eyes wandered from the floor, to the screen occasionally, and to..Papyrus. The television glowed softly in the darkness, illuminating his brother's orange tinted face which was curved into a soft smile, his eyes lit in glee as...

His eyes shifted away, turning around quickly to face Undyne holding Alphys, who seemed to be resting their eyes as they cuddled. He tapped the fish warrior's shoulder awkwardly, her eyes shooting open and to Sans. "Yo, uh..where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, down the hall."

Sans nodded, dashing down the hallway as Undyne stared down for a moment. "..do skeletons even use the bathroom?" Her question was left unanswered as everyone fell silent to the movie in front of them. Sans shut the door behind him, gripping at his rib cage as a burning feeling took place there. It felt like something inside him was about to burst, hot liquids dripping inside him and magic pumping through every bone in his body. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Sans lifted up his messy and stained white shirt, feeling his heart skip a beat at the sight before him. It seemed as if someone had recolored his very soul. A horrible feeling washed over him, not knowing what to feel about the whole situation. A bit of gold spat out from his now orange-yellow soul, burning inside him passionately. He cringed, running a finger over it and getting a bit of yellow goop onto his finger and licking it.

Spicy.

He slowed his breathing down a bit, calming himself. Maybe it was normal, he told himself as he pulled down his shirt again, heading out of the bathroom and back into the living room. His brother turned as he noticed Sans return, asking him softly, "SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT, DEAR BROTHER? WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

"Oh, just a little heart burn is all."


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And everything goes to shit.

Something wasn't sitting right with Papyrus.

Something was off, seriously off. Whether it be the surprising lack of puns from his older brother, or maybe..maybe Undyne slipped something in his eggnog. He decided to stick to that explanation, checking the bottom of his empty cup for any evidence that Undyne may have pranked him somehow.

Nothing.

He set the cup down, looking over to see the credits of the movie speed by as Alphys stood up, yawning. "A-are you guys tired, o-or..? I, uh..think I'm ready f-for bed.."

"Yeah, I'm ready to hit the hay." Sans stood, brushing his clothes off a bit. 

Papyrus got up as well with the blanket still wrapped around him. "BUT WE STILL HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO DO!"

Sans chuckled, "maybe you'd feel better after some beauty rest. After all, the Great Papyrus needs his rest." Alphys had left for a moment, unnoticed until she came back with two sleeping bags, handing them to the pair of skeletons. Smiling, Sans layed his down, hopping into it with little hesitation. Papyrus set his down next to Sans, kneeling down as he slipped in. A long silence followed, before Papyrus spoke up.   
"BROTHER, DON'T YOU FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS.. OFF?"  
Sans turned, feeling his heart race faster. "What do you mean, Papyrus?.."

"I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED. "

Rumbling could be heard in the distance.

"Are you sure you aren't homesick again?"

The rumbling became a growl, more and more audible by the moment.

"MAYBE..DO YOU THINK WE CAN VISIT SNOWDIN AGAIN TOMORROW?"

And everything seemed to go white.   
-_-_-_-_-  
"Chara, wake up..

It's me, your best friend..."

The small goat poked at the ground, sniffling a little. He brushed a hand over the wilted flowers, pushing them away, along with some of the dirt. Soon enough, he was clawing at the ground, tears filling his eyes and whimpering softly. Mud covered his clothes, sticking to his fur as well as Asriel leaned back, staring at the decent-sized hole he made, a small, crooked smile stretched across his face as he whispered, "please, come on, Chara, I know you're still here, after these months.."

The ground seemed to shake, letting out a loud rumble throughout the cavern. Asriel fell back, clutching at the faded patches of grass underneath him. "C-Chara, it's Asriel! I'm in my old form now, w-we can be together again!"

A louder rumble, almost an animalistic growl.

"Come on out and play, Chara!"

A bright light engulfed the room, Asriel's body swallowed by the searing hot sensation all over as it felt as if something had pierced his chest violently with a knife. The petals of the buttercups were singed, burnt to a crisp as the flash of light faded from the room, leaving Asriel on the ground. He stood up, much taller than before in a long, purple robe, much akin to Toriel's. His eyes fluttered open, groaning and rubbing his head as a small smile turned up on his face.

 

"It's time."


	3. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so?? i dunno if i should tag the temmie shit things as ocs or not because really i just did that to make them easier to set apart so

Sans sat up, confused. Papyrus was asleep in his sleeping bag, and Undyne was on the couch, snoring loudly. Rubbing his head, he rose from his own sleeping bag and lazily walked into the kitchen, swinging the minifridge door open as the light stung his eyes, causing his to groan. He gripped a bottle of ketchup and closed the fridge, leaning against the counter as he sipped from the bottle nonchalantly. Was it just another odd dream? Sans yawned, his mind too weak to concentrate as he checked the time on his phone. Roughly four in the morning. Turning, he faced a window, looking around outside as he saw all hell breaking loose. Pretty typical day for Sans-

"Oh my god what the fuck."

In the distance, there was a figure looming in front of the rising sun, the outline of the shape a dark mahogany as it glowed a soft rainbow aura. Kinda Mary Sue-ish, in Sans's opinion. Below, the town was covered in darkness, as if light was being shielded away from it.  
Sans set down the ketchup bottle, slowly backing away into the living room, tapping Papyrus lightly. "Bro, the dog has your special attack again."  
"..N-NYEH?! CURSED CANINE! SANS, WE MUST-"  
"Actually, no, there's some sort of hellspawn outside and I think Frisk needs to save us again or something."  
"...  
SANS! THAT'S JUST AS HORRIBLE! BUT FRET NOT, DEAR BROTHER, I WILL SAVE THE DAY ONCE AGAIN!"  
"..sounds like a plan."  
The taller skeleton grabbed his back pack, and Sans slipped on his hoodie as they headed outside. This was going to be one hell of a ride.  
*The looming threat above, the suspense filling the air, the scent of..bones. It fills you with DETERMINATION.  
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
"Well, what's your grand plan?"

"HMM.." The taller skeleton tapped his chin, humming thoughtfully to himself. "HOW ABOUT WE..UH..."

Sans chuckled softly, "do you even have a plan, bro?"

"OF COURSE I HAVE A PLAN! HOW ABOUT WE GO UP TO THE 'HELLSPAWN' AND TALK IT OUT RATIONALLY?"

"If it seems like a good idea to ya, sure.".

Their conversation ended as Papyrus began marching forwards to the peak of Mt. Ebott, his back pack slung over his left shoulder as Sans followed close. The sun continued to rise, the goat-like figure's shadow casting over the snow-dusted city menacingly. Twilight began to fade from the sunlight flooding the sky, the rainbow blur growing brighter around Asriel. Sans's expression turned from relaxed to mildly concerned, Papyrus's smile never fading. Looking up to his younger counterpart, his heart seemed to skip a beat as his frown slowly twitched into a smile. That look on Papyrus's face never ceased to cheer him up. The world around him seemed to fade away, only him and Papyrus walking together, alone...

"SANS?"

"..wh-yeah, bro?"

"I DON'T THINK THAT CREATURE MEANS WELL..."

The shorter snapped out of his trance, his eyes darting around to see that they had gotten pretty close to the top of the mountain, the otherworldly being looking..alert. His horns seemed to be growing longer with every passing moment, his eyes glowing red...his form taking the absolute definition of 'edgy'. Carefully, Sans guided Papyrus behind a tall evergreen tree, whispering, "maybe we should go home and watch that anime a few more times, Papyrus. I didn't quite catch the ending."

Papyrus snapped back, "WE CAN WATCH BABY CARTOONS LATER, SANS! RIGHT NOW, THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS BUSY SAVING HUMANITY!" He then darted out from behind the tree, walking up to Edgy Goat Lord™ and speaking up. "AHEM, EXCUSE ME! IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING MENACING AND EDGY AND I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST FOR YOU TO STOP, FOR EVERYONE IS QUITE TERRIFIED."

Sans stayed put, staring at Papyrus with a scowl; he was going to get himself killed, and although it's happened many times before, he just couldn't stand another pile of bro-dust on the ground. Sans walked up, but before Sans could grab his brother's arm, a bright flash of light blinded the both of them as an explosion could be heard in the distance. Papyrus stumbled backwards, shielding his eyes the best he could with his arm, although it didn't do much because of the separation in his forearms. He lost his footing near the gaping hole atop Ebott, slipping in. As the light gave way, Sans glanced around. No sign of Papyrus, but he could hear..

"S-SANS! HELP!"

The taller skeleton was clinging onto a branch for dear life, the gravel and dirt around him threatening to give way. Dashing over to the opening, Sans reached in to see the face of terror that was evident on his brother's face. He'd never seen such fear in Papyrus's eyes; he usually had such great composure, never letting the world around him bring him down, always so positive...

"I COULD REALLY USE SOME HELP, IF IT ISN'T TOO MUCH TROUBLE!" Papyrus begged, sticking one arm up in hopes that Sans would grab it, which the shorter did. He tried to pull Papyrus up, straining himself beyond his usual comfort zone. Asriel's head turned slightly, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he lifted his hand, a blue orb forming in his hand as he tossed it over near Sans's feet as it burst. He fell from the blow, losing his grip on Papyrus's hand as he was thrown into the abyss, the two brothers falling deeper into the catacombs.   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
It was really dark.  
A faint crunching sound was audible beneath him as he stood up, causing Sans to look below him. Please don't be bones. Beneath him were flowers, clearly burnt as Papyrus lay beside him on the ground. His breathing sped up as he leaned down to check Papyrus's pulse. Nothing, as always. At least he wasn't turned to dust; he was still okay. Sans grabbed Papyrus's legs, pulling him over to prop him up against the wall. The shorter sat next to him, sighing. That thing seemed..pretty dangerous, and he wasn't just going to teleport up there and leave Papyrus unattended. It wasn't that Papyrus couldn't take care of himself, or that he didn't trust him by himself, it was what could still be down here. Maybe some monsters trying to pick a fight, or humans that might still have the will to hurt...

"..NYEH?", he heard his brother mutter as he rubbed his eyes, confused. Papyrus stood up as a jolt of pain shot through his body, causing him to groan. Sans quickly got up from his place against the rugged stone walls, placing Papyrus's weight on himself. "Papyrus, you OK?"

"I'M FINE, SANS!" He shook Sans off, walking forward as another dose of agonizing pain went through him. "ON SECOND THOUGHT, COME HERE AND HELP ME.."

The shorter dashed to his assistance, holding him by the waist firmly, but as gently, as he could. Sans began walking forwards out of the cave-like area, the scent of ash still heavy in the air. Papyrus did his best to follow the other's pace, walking through another dark area before they heard the faintest, upbeat music. Suspicious, Sans whispered, "Papyrus, you stay here, I'm gonna..check up ahead, okay?"

Papyrus gave him a pleading expression, but nodded in agreement, leaning against a nearby pillar. Its color was an antique white, paint chipping off a bit as Sans continued onward. The music grew louder, the faint sound of a greeting seeming to get louder as well...

"HOI!! IT'S HAiMMIE!", something screeched behind him, causing Sans to jump up in alarm. He flipped around, coming face to face with a small, cat..dog? thing???? Whatever it was, it startled him.

"Uhh..hi...Haimmie?", he began as the small animal scrambled towards him with a goofy smile.

"haim SEES Ur knew 2 the TEMMIEGROUND!! hAIM WANTS TO SHOW YOU...GR8 TEM stAtU!! IT BRINgS GooD LUK 2 travlERS! BUT YOu cAN ONLI SEE iF..YOU COME WITH TEMS!!!!" Hemmie bit at Sans's hand, trying to grab it weakly, but to no avail. Sans chuckled, lifting up his hand as he changed the subject. "Do you have any food around here? My bro is pretty low on HP."

Haimmie's eyes lit up, "CUSTMR!! we hAVE A cuSTOmer!" He bounced excitedly up and down, pulling out a bag from a nearby pile of leaves. Candy and multicolored flakes spilled out, along with the occasional cinnamon bunny or..tub of pasta, with "SPAGHETTI" scrawled on the side. It was clearly Papyrus's handwriting; tall, neat letters with a scraggly edge to them. Sans fished around in his pockets, pulling out a few pieces of gold. "I'll take a few cinnamon buns, if it won't 'bun' you out that I'm takin' em, heh."

Haimmie giggled at the pun, pulling out a package of cinnamon buns that were sloppily thrown in a cardboard box. "nn2G! P!!!!" Chuckling, Sans handed Haimmie five gold, "thanks a BUNch, kid." He chuckled, walking back from where he came as he grabbed one of the pastries, biting into it with a smile as he waved to Papyrus. "Bro, I got us some food," he stated, tossing Papyrus a bun. 

"THANK YOU, SANS! FOR ONCE, YOU AREN'T BEING A LAZY BUM...I LIKE IT!", Papyrus exclaimed as he ate the cinnamon bun. "I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EFFORT!"

Sans smiled. He could tell this really was gonna be one long day, but the younger one kept him smiling.


	4. Chapter 4

The walk through the decayed catacombs was rather bland, the occasional Temmie coming up to greet them. They usually didn't have much to say, as most just repeated, "HOI!!" I'M TEMMIE!!", except for one, which simply said, "Hi. I'm Bob." They were interesting, to say the least. The corridors echoed with each step the skeletons took, vines growing along the walls. At one point, they stumbled upon what seemed to be a puzzle, but was mysteriously already solved, to Papyrus's dismay. A few Temmies here, the occasional candy wrapper there, nothing too interesting until they reached a small cottage, leaves scattered around it.

"Oh, hey, we can rest here," Sans suggested, sauntering in with his hands tucked in his pockets. Papyrus hurried in as well, announcing his arrival. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ARRIVED! IF ANYONE IS HERE, PLEASE SHOW YOURSELF!" At that moment, a white, fluffy dog scurried up from what seemed to be the basement, barking loudly. Once it caught sight of Papyrus, its barking halted, jumping up into his arms. "BROTHER! I BELIEVE I HAVE MADE A FRIEND!"

"Cool, bro.." the shorter skeleton responded halfheartedly, peaking into the first room in the hall. It seemed to be a child's room, painted with an ugly red clay color. Toys were scattered around the room, the bed still made and rather clean looking. Shutting the door, he called out to Papyrus who was still playing with his new-found friend, "hey, Pap, come over here for a sec."

Papyrus set his dog down as he walked over to Sans, the dog following close behind. "WHAT IS IT, SANS?"

"You know what you should name your dog?"

"..WHAT?"

"Pupyrus."

"...

OH MY GOD."

Papyrus crossed his arms, scowling. "YOU HAVE SOME OF THE WORST PUNS, I SWEAR!" Sans chuckled, moving onto the next room.

"But in all seriousness, we should probably hang out here for a while. Seems like a nice place to crash." He swung open the door to reveal a pretty clean room, blue walls and a darker blue bed. The scent of snail lingered in the air as Sans walked in and sat down in the short wooden chair which was in front of a desk. It was also kept organized, a few books scattered about. He picked up the one closest to him, opening it to the first page.

Why didn't the skeleton do his job?

Because he could do it tomarrow!

Why are skeletons bad liars?

Because you can see right through them!

Why was the skeleton such a good comedian?

Because he was humerus!

The rest of the page was filled to the brim with bad skeleton puns, and they all seemed so familiar. It took him a moment to put the pieces together, and...

"Toriel!" He smiled as Papyrus looked over his shoulder. "Papyrus, this is Toriel's place..pretty sweet." He got up, pushing his chair in as Sans walked back down the hall and into the next room. It had a large, comfy chair with white hairs all over it, which he assumed was the dog's, along with an almost empty bookshelf which only had a few hardcovers and a scrapbook still on it. He brushed his fingers against the leathery cover, dust collecting onto his fingertips. He reached towards it, hesitating before deciding against to pick it up, just to respect Toriel's privacy. He glanced over to the chair again, seeing how large and soft it was. He saw his brother obviously preoccupied with the dog. The dog wasn't gonna hurt Papyrus, right?.. Of course it wouldn't, you bonehead. He answered his own question before slowly inching on to the huge recliner, brushing a bit of hair off and shutting his eyes. A little nap couldn't hurt, right?

...

He awoke to the sound of annoying barking.

What a pleasant way to wake up.

Sans stretched out on the space he found himself in; the kid's bed. He didn't remember falling asleep there, but he stretched out a bit as a crinkling sound could be heard. Sitting up, Sans looked around to see a scrap piece of paper beneath him. Picking it up, he glanced over the paper.

DEAR SANS,

I THINK I HEARD ANOTHER DOG DOWNSTAIRS, SO I'M GOING TO GO CHECK WHAT THE HUBBUB IS ABOUT. PERHAPS IT IS ANOTHER DOG! OR MAYBE NOT. YOU WOULDN'T MIND HAVING ANOTHER PET, WOULD YOU? JUST BE SURE TO GET UP, LAZY BONES!

SPAGHETTILY YOURS,

PAPYRUS

PS: I MADE SURE TO FEED YOUR PET ROCK BEFORE WE LEFT FOR ALPHYS'S PARTY. IT SHOULD BE FINE.

The note was tossed to the dresser as Sans got up, stretching and heading out the bedroom has he skidded down the steps. He had to keep an eye on Papyrus down here, no matter what. The pitter-pattering of slippers echoed down the cold, dark basement, and it got darker as he moved further. The soft pattering of his feet echoed louder and louder as he went on, the hall seeming to be forever expanding. Soon enough, he couldn't see his hands right in front of his face. He called out, "Papyrus! Bro, where'd ya go?.."

But nobody came.

"Seriously, Pap, the dog can wait..! Let's head upstairs and..get something to eat?"

No response.

"..Papyrus? B-bro, you're scarin' me, stop it.."

The only sound was his own soft breathing, filling the dark room around him as he kept walking, whispering to himself, "he's fine, the kid ain't down here, he's fine.." as he tucked his hands in his pockets, slouched over as he walked. Something was under his foot. He leaned down, picking up a long, tattered piece of fabric. It could've been anything, but..Sans couldn't shake the feeling it was Papyrus's. He continued on; the halls seemed endless, colder and somehow even darker as he went forwa-

And he walked into a wall. He rubbed his face, groaning from the sudden jolt of pain that went through his naval cavity. Feeling the cement wall in front of him, he felt some engravings on the wall, running his fingers over a circle, three triangles, and what felt to be in the shape of a pair of wings. He pulled away, slouching against the wall and sliding down, landing on his bony bottom. His hoodie covered his face, not like it would matter because it was so dark, and let a few tears trickle down his face. Why was he so worried? It wasn't like Papyrus would get hurt down here, unless..

Was that really a dog down here?

The thought haunted him, maybe some horrible beast tearing Papyrus to shreds, bit by bit.. That sent a wave of emotions over him; not a single one of them was positive. He grimaced, sulking in his hoodie in the dark hoodie as he began to sob uncontrollably on the floor, "PAPYRUS, PLEASE, D-DON'T DO THIS TO ME BRO!"

Silence.

"..b-bro, I.."

His heart ached, waves of sadness and anger engulfing his mind as he clutched the fabric in his fist. All the terrible things that could have happened, all the ways he could have saved Papyrus, and he didn't. All the ways he could be better, all the opportunities he had to save him, all the things he could have said...

I love you.

And on top of the fury and sorrow was confusion and mild disgust. Of all the things he could've said, out of all the things.. I love you? No, saying that would make him feel just really awkward..But he was his brother, so saying that was normal, right? He really would mean it, too, especially to such a cool, fun person like Papyrus...

Who was probably dead now, on his fault.

His wailing continued as he hoped for a reset, maybe someone reloading the game, SOMETHING to bring Papyrus back..and a soft tapping was heard. Sans looked up, wiping his tears as he directed hit attention to the wall with the strange symbols as the tapping got faster. Suddenly, the wall seemed to make way, bright light bothering his eyes. He pulled his hoodie down, blocking the stream of light as he heard someone say, "THANK YOU, I LOVE THIS SCARF! THEY ALMOST MATCH MY AMOUNT OF GLORY, DON'T YOU AGREE?"

"Heh, yep, come back any time, stranger! Oh, and your pasta is delicious, and we're glad to have you over any time."

The door was shut, and the room was illuminated with a small oil lamp, showing Papyrus's soft expression. His bright eyes flicked down to the whimpering, withered Sans on the ground, clutching his old scarf. The shorter stared for a moment, his expression pure confusion, embarrassment, and relief. His legs shook as he stood up, pulling the taller into a tight hug."Pap, d-don't just go wandering o-out like that on me, damn it.."

Papyrus looked down, confused. "SANS, I WAS ONLY GONE FOR ROUGHLY AN HOUR, AND I MADE SOME NEW FRIENDS BACK IN SNOWDIN! THEY EVEN MADE ME A PASTA SCARF, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MADE THEM A DELICIOUS PASTA DINNER! I THOUGHT YOU'D WANT SOME, SO I BROUGHT LEFTOVERS!" He held out a plate with some hot spaghetti on it for Sans.

"..thanks, but..I'm not hungry," Sans politely declined, still not letting go of Papyrus's waist. The taller frowned, picking his brother up with one arm.

"SANS? NOT HUNGRY? YOU MUST BE SICK...

OFF TO BED YOU GO." Papyrus began to walk down the hall, lantern on his arm, spaghetti in one hand and Sans in the other as his older brother clung onto his shoulder, still sniffling a little but smiling at the fact Papyrus was okay. The flame dully illuminated the outline of the two, Sans burying his face into the crook of the younger's neck as he inspected the scarf. Yellow with red wool and brown buttons; pasta themed. Sans chuckled softly under his breath, loving how well it suited Papyrus, loving how he was okay, and simply loving how he was..there. A fluttering feeling rose in his chest; maybe Sans was just sick from the weird soul..infection?

Disease?

Mutation?

He knew he always felt a tad like this before, near the sillier, taller, giddier one that never ceased to make him smile, the ones that would cheer him up after a bad day, the one that he would do anything for...

The one he called Papyrus.

He gripped tighter at the sudden thought that flashed through his mind, cringing and scolding himself internally as the thought grew stronger and stronger. He hated himself for even considering it; maybe he was..in love or some sappy shit like that, something he never would want to admit to himself, which he totally wouldn't...right?

"SANS, YOU'RE FEELING VERY WARM..YOU MUST HAVE A FEVER." Sans snapped out of his train of thought, looking up and at Papyrus. "Oh. Whelp, maybe I should sleep on it," he responded, still holding the small piece of fabric that now, in the light, was clearly red. "Oh, uh, how'd ya wreck your scarf?"

"WELL, THE DOG LOOKED TERRIBLY COLD IN THE SNOW BACK IN SNOWDIN, SO I GAVE HIM MY SCARF!

...

HE CHEWED IT UP, SO I SENT HIM BACK HERE."

Sans giggled, smiling. "Heh, how nice of you." His brother was always so sweet, and kind, and..

He began to dose off on Papyrus's shoulder, gripping his arm as they headed back into the house for another (hopefully) peaceful night.


End file.
